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- LG teases MWC 2013 presence some more, get ready for “unlimited possibilities” (video)
- Nexus 7-like Asus Fonepad coming with aluminum body, release date and pricing also mentioned
- HTC Germany teases something “alive” is coming soon
- HTC M7 supposedly coming to France on March 8, priced at €650
- Galaxy S2 Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update rolling out in South Korea
- New shooter Guns 4 Hire lands on Android, free to play
- Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean heading to Motorola Electrify M. Or is it?
- Q4 smartphone numbers are in: Android rockin’ 53.4% of US market share
- Ubuntu phone launch set for early October 2013 ‘in two large geographic markets’
- Galaxy S Kit, Galaxy S Mate, Galaxy S Impact and Galaxy S Act could be the names of new Samsung Android devices
| LG teases MWC 2013 presence some more, get ready for “unlimited possibilities” (video) Posted: 07 Feb 2013 02:37 AM PST
Even if LG's style of creating buzz before phone releases doesn't involve spilling the beans on everything about the devices (like HTC, Sony or Samsung’s M.O.s), the Koreans definitely know how to get us excited. After teasing a "new series" with "unexpected distinction" on Facebook less than 24 hours ago, LG has taken to YouTube to post another ambiguous yet very intriguing teaser. The video clip runs for a good thirty seconds, but it's almost impossible to find even the slightest hint of a gadget's name or spec. What we do know is that later this month Barcelona will be the host of a "breakthrough" from LG. And that we'll be seeing "unlimited possibilities" explored by the Optimus makers. Now good luck in deciphering exactly what that means. LG's MWC 2013 "trailer video" also throws around a bunch of ambiguous adjectives that are supposed to describe the upcoming phone or phones from the company, with highlights on premium, speedy, stylish and creative. Darn, it's like we know less than we did before this video got uploaded, am I right? Even if we're starting to doubt ourselves, we're going to stick with our assumptions from yesterday for now. Therefore, we're still expecting LG to refresh last year's Optimus L line. We know, it sounds pretty boring and it doesn’t really fit the exciting fast-paced teaser clip, but it’s the only lead we have at the moment. What do you guys think? Related Posts |
| Nexus 7-like Asus Fonepad coming with aluminum body, release date and pricing also mentioned Posted: 07 Feb 2013 02:25 AM PST
The Asus Fonepad (model number ME371MG) that was spotted in a few reports so far, could be officially unveiled in the following weeks at MWC 2013, but while we wait, we have more unconfirmed details for you regarding this Intel-powered new budget-friendly tablet. The Fonepad is rumored to hit stores in the second quarter. Bulgarian site Tablet.bg is pointing out to a May release in the country, with pricing starting at 500-600 Lev for 3G versions, which converts to $346-415. U.S. pricing will surely differ, to keep the Fonepad on par with other budget tablet in the region. The same source provides an image of the tablet's back, which seems to indicate the device will come with an aluminum body, Intel Inside logo included. Comparatively, the Nexus 7, has a rubber back, so this is certainly an interesting choice for Asus, although it’s yet to be confirmed. As for specs and features, the ME371MG will reportedly offer you a 7-inch IPS display with 1280 x 800 resolution, 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2420 processor, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, 1GB of RAM 8/16/32 memory with microSD support, 3-megapixel camera, 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera, 3G support (for some models only,) 4270mAh battery and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Anyone looking forward to the Asus Fonepad? Thanks, Simeon! Related Posts |
| HTC Germany teases something “alive” is coming soon Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:57 AM PST
As we near the expected unveiling date of HTC's upcoming flagship smartphone, the company has released a new teaser that hints that something of a Frankenstein proportion is coming out of HTC's lab. The beast will be "alive soon!", whether we're ready or not. The teaser picture, as shown above, depicts a heart attached to a circuit board. While we're not 100% sure, HTC is likely referring to the arrival of M7, the phone that was chanted out loud by Peter Chou and co. during an internal event. Do you think the teaser is talking about something else instead? Is this merely the company's way of saying that it's convinced that the M7 will inject some much-needed life back into the brand? Whatever it is, all will be revealed on February 19 in New York and London. Stay tuned! Related Posts |
| HTC M7 supposedly coming to France on March 8, priced at €650 Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:57 AM PST
Building hype around unreleased phones before making them official has always been HTC's thing, but is it safe to say the Taiwanese have gone a bit too far this time around? We can't even remember when we heard about the M7 for the first time, not to mention the upcoming flagship has been an open book for a while. And yet rumors and leaks keep bombarding us at a pace that probably makes even Samsung jealous. The latest? A supposed internal doc from Phone House, a French online retailer, listing the M7's release date, main features and pricing. But that's a huge breakthrough, some of you might say. True, seeing as the handheld's price was until now only estimated. Then again, something's really fishy here. The M7 was always thought to be nothing more than a provisional pseudonym, but if this leak proves legit it could actually be the official market name of the new HTC phone. Which is doubtful. Another detail that screams fake is M7's photo next to the spec sheet and pricing. Granted, that is a render of a large rectangular piece of slab with HTC's logo, so it does tick some of the right boxes, but if you look closely you'll see Unwired View's logo pasted on the screen.
Of course, it's not impossible for the photo to be a sham used simply for illustrative purposes and for the rest of the details to check out, but we're far from convinced that's the case. It's also not entirely impossible for the M7 to land in France on March 8 for €649.99, as the doc states. The price is in the same ballpark as Sony Xperia Z's and is more or less what we've come to expect from high-enders in Europe. Converted in US currency, it's definitely pricey ($880), but you know how these things go, so you should expect American retailers to charge $650-$700 tops. As for the March 8 ETA, that could also check out if HTC will in fact intro the new big guy on February 19. But where does that leave the rumor about the possible launch delay? Well, hopefully, at “never gonna happen”. Finally, when it comes to specs, this new leak serves us with absolutely no shockers. The camera is still listed as equipped with 13 megapixels and not 4 "ultrapixels", but to be honest we already filed that rumor under “u” for unconvincing. The rest is the same old – 4.7-inch Full HD panel, Sense 5 UI, 32 GB of on-board memory, 4G, NFC, Beats Audio. All things considered, does anyone trust this new “leak”? If so, how does that price sound? Related Posts |
| Galaxy S2 Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update rolling out in South Korea Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:56 AM PST
Galaxy S2 owners have been waiting for months now for the official Jelly Bean update, with various reports and unofficial firmware leaks hinting that the release was near. However, 2012 passed by and the 2011 flagship smartphone was not updated to Android 4.1.2. We have recently told you that the international phone version has received its Jelly Bean update, and now it looks like Samsung is starting the Jelly Bean push in South Korean as well. If you happen to own the SHW-M250L Galaxy S2 version then you should be able to upgrade its OS, as Jelly Bean could be waiting for you. Sam Mobile reminds us that Samsung KIES is the only way of updating the device, so you'll have to hook the device up to your computer and fire up KIES to move to Android 4.1.2, as an over-the-air (OTA) isn’t available. As for North American Galaxy S2 versions, we still don't have any Jelly Bean details for you at this time. Related Posts |
| New shooter Guns 4 Hire lands on Android, free to play Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:28 AM PST
From the people who brought us Judge Dredd vs. Zombies comes another terrific game known as Guns 4 Hire. It's a new shooter game where, just like in the real world, millions of bad guys wreak havoc that no one else but the toughest of mercenaries can face them. Players are given exactly that: a squad of four mercs is required to bring down corrupt governments and crime syndicates. From high explosives to heavy artillery, each soldier possesses special skills. Players control them via squad tactics and single touch control. To help defend them in heated battles are protective vests and head gear while anti-personnel mines, automated gun turrets and air strikes can be deployed when things get out of hand. At the end of explosive missions, weapons and other spoils of war can be looted and used for more conflicts to come. Developer Rebellion has released the game as free-to-play, although there are in-app purchases available for extra items. Luckily, these are optional and unobtrusive since they can be disabled by adjusting the device settings. Nonetheless, the game can really have you grinding if you don’t spend real money. The game requires devices running on Android 2.3 or later and having 87MB free space. Related Posts |
| Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean heading to Motorola Electrify M. Or is it? Posted: 06 Feb 2013 10:56 PM PST
Earlier in the day, the tech blogosphere was alight with news that the Electrify M – a variant of the Razr M on U.S. Cellular – is getting its serving of Jelly Bean, but this may not turn out to be the case. While details about the Android 4.1.2 software upgrade for the Electrify M were posted on U.S. Cellular's website, the information has since been removed. If you go the website now, you'll see that Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich is the latest available update for the device.
Clicking on the "What's New Guide" tells a different story though, as it still takes you to a page that lists some of the features of Jelly Bean. So what's happening here? It's possible that U.S. Cellular jumped the gun early on the update without consulting Moto. Although the update will still be happening, it's likely to come a bit later. Hopefully, it’ll still arrive in the first quarter of 2013. We'll let you know once we hear more. Related Posts |
| Q4 smartphone numbers are in: Android rockin’ 53.4% of US market share Posted: 06 Feb 2013 06:11 PM PST
Thanks to comScore’s latest report, which ranks platform market share as well as the top five U.S hardware OEMs, the numbers are in for the final quarter of 2012. Nearly 126 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones between September 1st and December 31st, representing a 5% growth from Q3 2012. On the platform front, Android is still dominating with a massive 53.4%, growing slightly from last quarter by 0.9%. Apple comes in at second place with 36.6%, growing 2% over the past 3 months. Both BlackBerry and Windows Phone continued to decline between Q3 and Q4 falling a few percentage points each.
Related Posts |
| Ubuntu phone launch set for early October 2013 ‘in two large geographic markets’ Posted: 06 Feb 2013 05:26 PM PST
Ubuntu is one of the newest operating systems ready to make a play at least for the third place in the mobile business, behind Android and iOS, but regular users will have to wait until October 2013 to get their hands on Ubuntu phone. Sure, the battle for third spot seems to be a two-horse race between Microsoft and BlackBerry, but there are plenty of new mobile operating systems that will power some devices in the near future, with Ubuntu being a very interesting one. Announced a few weeks ago, the Ubuntu smartphone will let users enjoy pretty much the same Linux experience across devices, whether they're regular computers or mobile devices capable of running Ubuntu. In its initial presentation, Canonical mentioned that Ubuntu can be installed on a variety of devices that currently run Android – as long as users are comfortable with such procedures, not that we're advising you to go in that direction – but failed to announce any hardware of its own. Ubuntu phone is not to be confused with the Ubuntu for Android app, with the former being a standalone mobile OS, while the latter is an app that would run on Android devices. A few weeks after that, we learned that the first Ubuntu phone builds for the Galaxy Nexus – a preferred device to show Ubuntu phone on – will be available in February, but mostly app developers will have access to it.
According to a new Wall Street Journal report, regular customers will have to wait for early October to get their Ubuntu smartphones. Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth apparently confirmed all of this without mentioning actual release dates or whether the company plans to launch specific hardware with its new mobile OS. Shuttleworth did say that the "new phone operating system will be available in two large geographic markets in October," without saying whether North America, "absolutely a key market for Ubuntu," will be part of this first launch wave. The CEO also revealed that Ubuntu phone "has drawn interest from carriers as well, many of which are [unsurprisingly] eager to break up the smartphone market hegemony of Apple and Google." Naturally, no carriers have been mentioned by Shuttleworth, so we're just have to wait for more details to become available. Will you buy an Ubuntu smartphone (actual hardware) or will you rather have Ubuntu run on your existing Android phone? Related Posts |
| Posted: 06 Feb 2013 04:46 PM PST
Samsung has registered a variety of new product names for future mobile devices, although it's not clear whether any of them will actually be used in the near future. Several potential names for Android smartphones – all part of the Galaxy S family – have been already spotted in a Samsung trademark filing in the U.S. including the Galaxy S Kit, Galaxy S Mate, Galaxy S Impact and Galaxy S Act. We have no idea whether any of these devices is in the making or not, and we haven't seen these particular product names in any of the recent leaks detailing upcoming Samsung Android products. In addition to these new Galaxy S models, the company is also looking to register the ATIV Zexy trademark in Europe, a name that could be given to a future Windows Phone product. We'll be back with more details about the Galaxy S product names mentioned above as soon as they are available. Related Posts
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